Complaint Letters

Lecture 7
 Occasions for writing Complaint
Letter
 Arrival of damaged goods  Delayed delivery

 Goods arrived not as per the order  Work undertaken is unsatisfactory

 Goods not as per the specification  Discourtesy from staff or shop or

given office
 Quantity different from the order  Mistakes in a bill, or reminders for
placed payments after the payment already
 Delivery of goods at wrong place made.
 Components of a complaint
letter
Complete
Concise
Date of delivery
Invoice numbers and order numbers
Express inconvenience or loss caused
Should firmly demand an adjustment to complaint or claim
Specify the manner in which such adjustment is to be made (replace, repair,
return payment)
Insulting language to be avoided
Firm without being rude
 First paragraph
• Identify what the issue is.
• Date
• Time of the issue,
• Location,
• Name of person on duty,
• Name of product,
• What the problem was
• Your account number, model number, price, warranty information and reference number.
• Stick with the facts and avoid putting emotions into your letter.
 Second Paragraph
• State what you would like to be done to resolve the
situation.
• If you received poor service, you could request an apology
or a coupon.
• If a product malfunctioned, you could request to exchange
the product for a new one or request a refund.
 Third Paragraph
• Should thank the reader for the ti me.
• You can also throw in some compliments about something
you liked about their company's product or service.
• You should include your telephone number/e- mail address
aft er your printed name so that they can contact you.
• Be sure to keep a copy of the lett er for yourself and include
photocopies of any relevant documents and enclose them
with your lett er.
Your Address
Your City, State, ZIP Code
(Your email address, if sending via email)

Date

Name of Contact Person (if available)

Title (if available)
Company Name
Street Address
City, State, ZIP Code

Dear Contact Person or Organization Name):

Re: (account number, if applicable)

On (date), I (bought, leased, rented, or had repaired) a (name of the product, with serial or model number, or service performed) at (location and other important
details of the transaction).

Unfortunately, your (product or service) has not performed well (or the service was inadequate)because (state the problem). I am disappointed because (explain the
problem: for example, the product does not work properly; the service was not performed correctly; I was billed the wrong amount; something was not disclosed
clearly or was misrepresented; etc.).

To resolve the problem, I would appreciate your (state the specific action you want: money refunded, charge card credit, repair, exchange, etc.). Enclosed are copies
(do not send originals) of my records (include receipts, guarantees, warranties, canceled checks, contracts, model and serial numbers, and any other documents).

I look forward to your reply and a resolution to my problem and will wait until (set a time limit) before seeking help from a consumer protection agency or the Better
Business Bureau. Please contact me at the above address or by phone at (home and/or office numbers with area code).

Sincerely,
 Complaint for inferior quality
Dear Sir,

Re: Our Order No. 57 dated 20th FEBRUARY, 2018

You executed the above order on the 5th February, 2018, as usual, with promptness. We regret to inform you, however, that the
material is not up to your usual standard. The cloth is closely-woven and easily pulled out of shape. A cutting from the material
is enclosed for your ready reference.

This material has already been rejected by several of our customers. We shall thank you to replace this inferior material at the
earliest possible date with your high-quality product.

Yours truly,

M. A Khani
The Retail Cloth Stores

Enclosed: Cloth Cutting

 Answering the letter of complaint, accepting or
rejecting it.
Useful Expressions
Acknowledging receipt of a complaint letter
• Thank you for your letter of … regarding / concerning / in connection with …
• I refer to your letter of … about / relating to …
Apology for the Error or Fault
• We must apologize for …
• We sincerely apologize for …
• Please accept our apologies for….
• I would like to apologies for the error made by our company in (verb + ing)
 Accepting the Complaint
• We agree that the usual high standards Effects
of our products / services were not met • As a result …
in this instance.
• This led to …
A short explanation of the fault
• Consequently …
Introductory phrase
Solutions
• As a result of our investigation, we found
that... (Not: After our investigation...) • We have modified / changed our ...
Causes • We have implemented a system to...
• The error was caused by … / was due to • To prevent re-occurrences we have set up a
… verification procedure.
• Apparently, the problem was the result Assurances
of … / resulted from … • We assure you that this will not happen again.
• The cause of / reason for the mistake
was …
 Cont.

Investigation to be made An offer to take goods back, make a

• We are currently investigating the cause of.. replacement, give a discount etc.
• We will investigate the cause of... • We have dispatched the new items by
express courier. They should arrive by Friday,
Proposal to settle the difficulty March 7, 2018.
• As a gesture of our regret, we are prepared • To show our goodwill, we would like to offer
to …/ we are willing to …/ we would like to you a 5% discount on your next order with
… us.
• To show goodwill, we will …
 Cont.
Regret at dissatisfaction
• While we can understand your frustration, ...
• We understand how disappointing it can be when your expectations are not
met.
Rejecting responsibility for the problem leading to the complaint
• I regret to inform you that …
• I am afraid that …
• Unfortunately, I must point out that …
 Cont.
Reasons for the rejection
• This is because the guarantee period has expired.
• This is due to the fact that…
If a third party (another person or organization) is to blame, direct the
complainer to that party
• We therefore suggest that you contact...
• The guarantee period has expired
A concluding paragraph aiming at retaining the goodwill of the customer
• We look forward to receiving your further orders, and assure you that they will be filled
correctly / promptly.
 Plan for Bad - News Messages

• Every bad-news message has an underlying

objective

• To present the unpleasant facts in such a way that

the reader will consider you fair and reasonable
and preferably remain a friend of the organization
you represent.
How would you feel if your refund request reply
began with a negative statement?

• We regret, we are sorry, we wish to state that we are

unable to refund your money on the dress you
ordered from J. outlets LTD.
• Your application for a loan has been
denied/rejected/refused.
 Indirect Plan

Most often, you will use an Indirect organizational approach for bad-
news messages.

• Buffer
• Explanation and analysis of circumstances
• Decisions implied or expressed with resale and / or helpful suggestion
• Friendly positive close
 BUFFER

Buffer should be neutral in tone, avoid misleading the reader into thinking the news is good.
It should be pleasant, relevant and honest.
Ways to Begin Buffer
• Agreement
• Appreciation
• Assurance
• Compliment
• Cooperation
• Good-News
• Neutral Courtesy
• Understanding
 Explanation & Analysis

• Try to convince the reader you are acting in his or her best interest in the long run or
according to a policy that is enforced equally for all.
• Explain courteously all relevant facts behind your decision.
• Show that the request has been carefully considered for reader’s benefit as well as
your company’s.
 Decision

• Implied: If the reasons are so clear that your reader will conclude you must refuse the request.

• Expressed: If an implied decision might be misunderstood, express your decision clearly at the end of
explanation.
• Constructive suggestion: If you can offer a constructive suggestion, or alternative course of action. By
emphasizing what can be done, you may clearly imply what cannot be done without actually using negative
language.

• Resell: If desirable resell the reader on your company’s services or policies.

 Friendly Positive Close
• Endings should be positive, with reader friendly requests, assurance and reader
benefits.

• Offer assurances that you appreciate reader as a customer (or as an interested inquirer and
possible future customer).

• Invite Future, patronage, cooperation, or compliance with decision.

• Make clear whatever action is required, when to do it, and how to do it.

• Express continued interest, service & reader benefit or sincere wishes for reader’s success
with alternatives.
Subject: Travel Request

Thank you for your interest in new, emerging online technologies. The travel committee
reviewed your request to attend the Syllabus Conference in Santa Clara, California in July.
The university increased its travel budget this year by $5,000. However, with the increase in
requests we’ve received and because we are close to the end of a fiscal year, we have used all
our travel funds for the year. As much as we would like to fund your request, we just do not
have the money to do so. Remember, though, that if you have departmental funds available,
you may use those. You may also want to check to see if any divisional monies are still
available.
I do hope you will be able to attend the conference. Please contact me if you need help finding
another source of funding.

Yours faithfully,
 Credit
Refusals
• A credit refusal for a loan, credit card, extended line of credit, or credit purchase
should apply the bad news strategy.

• Give reasons for the refusal.

• Imply or state the refusal.

• Make a counterproposal.

• End with attention on the receiver’s benefits.

 Credit Refusal Letter
Dear Mr. XYZ,

This letter is in response to your request made to us about extending you credit for the
amount of $5,000, for the period of 1 month, for the items we supplied to you.

We regret to inform you that we cannot provide you with the said credit at the moment. As
you are well aware, the state of the economy has led to severe repercussions for our
industry, so we have decided to put our credit policies on hold for a few months.

You have been our valued customer for a long time now, so we can assure you that as soon
as our credit policies change, you will be immediately informed. We hope that this does not
affect our business relationship in any manner, and that we can continue our mutually
beneficial partnership.

Looking forward to a better future,

Sincerely,
ABC Ltd.
 Order Refusals

• Write an order refusal message when you are unable to fulfill or ship an
order in a timely manner.
• Begin with a buffer.
• Ask for needed information for incomplete orders; give a reason for delayed
and unfilled orders.
• State or imply the delay plan or the refusal.
• Offer a resale or an alternative solution.
• End with a positive statement.
 A Job Refusal Letter
Dear Mr. May:
I sincerely appreciate the offer of Marketing Specialist at Blooming Designs.
The hard work and professionalism of your staff is certainly reflected in the
services your company provides.
Although it was a difficult decision, I have decided to accept another offer at
this time. Interviewing at your firm has solidified my interest in this growing
field. I am thankful for the offer, and I wish you and your colleagues
continued success.
 A Partnership Refusal Letter
Mr. Malcom Botham
Job Title
Organization
Mailing Address
Date
Ms. Madhu Sachan
Job Title
Organization
Mailing Address
Dear Maryam,
Thank you for the very kind offer of partnership at [Organization]. I have enjoyed my twelve years and have learned so much about the
industry that I know I never would have otherwise.
Unfortunately due to personal circumstances I will be leaving the area and moving back to [Area] be closer to my family. It is with great
regret that I must decline your offer of partnership and tender my resignation as [Job Title], effective [Date].
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your mentoring here at [Organization] and to let you know how truly sorry I am that I can
not continue to be a part of the [Organization] family.
Yours sincerely,
_____________
Good Luck 